The number of production wells affects the heat extraction performance of an enhanced geothermal system: insights from engineering-scale 3D THM coupling numerical simulations
Enhanced geothermal systems (EGSs) are expected to be one of the most promising methods of supplying energy to meet the world’s increasing energy demand. However, little attention has been paid to the influence of the number of production wells on the heat extraction performance of an EGS. A series...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Earth Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2023.1185936/full |
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| author | Ziwei Wang Bo Zhang Bo Zhang Likun Yin Liming Yang Yifan Fan Hongmei Yin Peng Zhao Peng Zhao Jun Liu |
| author_facet | Ziwei Wang Bo Zhang Bo Zhang Likun Yin Liming Yang Yifan Fan Hongmei Yin Peng Zhao Peng Zhao Jun Liu |
| author_sort | Ziwei Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Enhanced geothermal systems (EGSs) are expected to be one of the most promising methods of supplying energy to meet the world’s increasing energy demand. However, little attention has been paid to the influence of the number of production wells on the heat extraction performance of an EGS. A series of numerical simulations is organized in this work with three cases: Case 1 (one production well), Case 2 (two production wells), and Case 3 (three production wells). The results indicate that a slight temperature difference exists among the three simulation cases at the planes X-Y (Z = 0) and Y-Z (X = 0), while Case 1 ensures a greater cooling area, and the more production wells, the smaller the cooling area during the heat extraction in plane X-Z (Y = 0). In addition, the continuous injection of cooling water from the injection well and its arrival at different reference points enable the temperature at each point to declining with a variable amplitude of variation. This work also sets an efficiency (ef) to investigate the temperature variation in the EGS, where Case 1 exhibits a similar variation as Case 2, which is also similar to Case 3. It is hoped that this work will play a guiding role in EGS-related exploration and exploitation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T00:51:35Z |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-6463 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T00:51:35Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| spelling | doaj.art-b7ce2895bcf04f8ab7f80789764e3d622023-07-07T14:01:25ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Earth Science2296-64632023-07-011110.3389/feart.2023.11859361185936The number of production wells affects the heat extraction performance of an enhanced geothermal system: insights from engineering-scale 3D THM coupling numerical simulationsZiwei Wang0Bo Zhang1Bo Zhang2Likun Yin3Liming Yang4Yifan Fan5Hongmei Yin6Peng Zhao7Peng Zhao8Jun Liu9Science and Technology Research Institute, China Three Gorges Corporation, Beijing, ChinaScience and Technology Research Institute, China Three Gorges Corporation, Beijing, ChinaGuizhou Branch, China Three Gorges Corporation, Guiyang, Guizhou, ChinaScience and Technology Research Institute, China Three Gorges Corporation, Beijing, ChinaScience and Technology Research Institute, China Three Gorges Corporation, Beijing, ChinaScience and Technology Research Institute, China Three Gorges Corporation, Beijing, ChinaScience and Technology Research Institute, China Three Gorges Corporation, Beijing, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, ChinaKey Laboratory of Deep Underground Science and Engineering (Ministry of Education), Institute of New Energy and Low-Carbon Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, ChinaKey Laboratory of Deep Underground Science and Engineering (Ministry of Education), Institute of New Energy and Low-Carbon Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, ChinaEnhanced geothermal systems (EGSs) are expected to be one of the most promising methods of supplying energy to meet the world’s increasing energy demand. However, little attention has been paid to the influence of the number of production wells on the heat extraction performance of an EGS. A series of numerical simulations is organized in this work with three cases: Case 1 (one production well), Case 2 (two production wells), and Case 3 (three production wells). The results indicate that a slight temperature difference exists among the three simulation cases at the planes X-Y (Z = 0) and Y-Z (X = 0), while Case 1 ensures a greater cooling area, and the more production wells, the smaller the cooling area during the heat extraction in plane X-Z (Y = 0). In addition, the continuous injection of cooling water from the injection well and its arrival at different reference points enable the temperature at each point to declining with a variable amplitude of variation. This work also sets an efficiency (ef) to investigate the temperature variation in the EGS, where Case 1 exhibits a similar variation as Case 2, which is also similar to Case 3. It is hoped that this work will play a guiding role in EGS-related exploration and exploitation.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2023.1185936/fullenhanced geothermal systemheat extraction performancetemperature variationproduction wellnumerical modeling |
| spellingShingle | Ziwei Wang Bo Zhang Bo Zhang Likun Yin Liming Yang Yifan Fan Hongmei Yin Peng Zhao Peng Zhao Jun Liu The number of production wells affects the heat extraction performance of an enhanced geothermal system: insights from engineering-scale 3D THM coupling numerical simulations Frontiers in Earth Science enhanced geothermal system heat extraction performance temperature variation production well numerical modeling |
| title | The number of production wells affects the heat extraction performance of an enhanced geothermal system: insights from engineering-scale 3D THM coupling numerical simulations |
| title_full | The number of production wells affects the heat extraction performance of an enhanced geothermal system: insights from engineering-scale 3D THM coupling numerical simulations |
| title_fullStr | The number of production wells affects the heat extraction performance of an enhanced geothermal system: insights from engineering-scale 3D THM coupling numerical simulations |
| title_full_unstemmed | The number of production wells affects the heat extraction performance of an enhanced geothermal system: insights from engineering-scale 3D THM coupling numerical simulations |
| title_short | The number of production wells affects the heat extraction performance of an enhanced geothermal system: insights from engineering-scale 3D THM coupling numerical simulations |
| title_sort | number of production wells affects the heat extraction performance of an enhanced geothermal system insights from engineering scale 3d thm coupling numerical simulations |
| topic | enhanced geothermal system heat extraction performance temperature variation production well numerical modeling |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2023.1185936/full |
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